


The Long Game

by LadyThemiss



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:33:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28195491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyThemiss/pseuds/LadyThemiss
Summary: Just how long can Magnum wait for Higgins to realize they're meant for each other?
Relationships: Juliet Higgins & Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, Juliet Higgins/Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, Referenced Juliet / Ethan
Comments: 15
Kudos: 80





	The Long Game

Their earlier conversation—it was bothering him. 

Ethan gave Juliet a drawer. To be honest, she seemed pretty skeptical about the whole thing, but it still scared him. When she and Ethan had first started dating, Magnum figured that Ethan was simply her first real foray back into the dating pool. He never figured the guy would be around long enough to give Higgins a drawer. A drawer that Magnum assumed was in Ethan’s bedroom. A thought that he didn’t want to follow much further than that. 

Magnum and Higgins though, they kept having these moments. He didn’t know what else to call it. 

Yet with Ethan’s gesture, he felt like Higgins was slipping away. 

He thought back to what happened last month during their case from HPD.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Magnum snatched his ringing phone off the counter and grinned looking at the caller ID. 

“Gordy, what’s up?”

Per usual, there was no preamble as Katsumoto jumped straight to the point, “You hear about the Durant Construction Group’s multimillion dollar hotel deal?”

“Of course, it’s been all over the news.” What? Magnum followed the news. Sometimes. 

“Yeah well, HPD has some insider information that Durant’s been bribing people all along the way. The only problem is, we can’t find anything on him to obtain a warrant.”

“Okay, so you need my help.”

Gordon could hear Magnum’s lack of humility through the phone and said, “Not me, the department.”

Magnum sensed frustration building and he couldn’t help but toy with Katsumoto as he said, “It’s okay Gordy, just tell me you need me and I’ll do whatever I can.”

“I don’t need you, the department will pay for your services. Don’t you want to help put a stop to corruption?”

“Just say it. Just one time.” The silence told Thomas that he was wearing Katsumoto down, so he persisted, “Come on Gordon, it’s easy, repeat after me: I need your help, Magnum.”

After a loud sigh Gordon sped through, “IneedyourhelpMagnum.”

“Very good. There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“If you’re going to be patronizing I’m just going to call Higgins.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop. How can I help?”

“Well, we do need both of you, actually. Durant is throwing a fundraiser at his estate tomorrow night. You two are about to make a rather large donation that puts you on the guest list—courtesy of HPD, of course—and then I need you to see what you can find. I’d imagine his office is the best place to start.”

“I’ll fill Higgins in. We’ll keep you in the loop.”

“Thanks, Magnum.”

Thomas walked from the guest house over to the main house to look for Higgins. It was mid-afternoon so she was probably in the office. She’d be annoyed that they didn’t have more time to do some recon on Tyler Durant before tomorrow night’s event. They were both good with improvising, but he knew Higgins always felt better after trying out plans A, B, C, and D first. 

When he got to the office she wasn’t there. Her laptop was open but the screensaver was on, so she’d been gone for a while. 

“Higgins. Higgins, are you here?” He shouted out a few more times but got no response. Pulling out his cell phone, he called her. 

On the second ring he heard, “What?” shouted in his ear.

“Uhh… are you okay?”

“Fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because it’s the middle of the day, you’re not in the office, and you just snapped at me.”

“I’m on my way back now.” 

There was a pause and he sensed that she was going to say more so he waited her out.

“I’m sorry for snapping. Why is it that you called?” Her shift to an easier tone made him feel better. He constantly worried that she took on too much… which sometimes led to taking her frustrations out on him. While he was only too glad to be her verbal punching bag—because everyone needed an outlet sometimes—he’d rather she shared her frustrations instead of bottling them up. He couldn’t push her though, so he’d been slowly working on it by playing the patience game. This instance was one small victory of many. Damned if he’d tell her he was playing the long game and winning, though. That’d be the surest way to get her to shut down on him completely. Instead, he didn’t acknowledge that she just conceded to him and instead jumped back into the case. 

“Gordon needs our help with something tomorrow night. I’ll fill you in on the details when you’re back.”

“Tomorrow night?”

“Yeah, that going to be a problem?”

“And it’s for Gordon?”

“If I said it was for me would that make a difference?”

“It might,” she said with a hint of playfulness in her voice. 

“What’s that supposed to mean, you’ll help Gordon when he needs a favor but you won’t help your partner?”

“Well, Gordon never asks for favors, but my partner is the-little-boy-who-cried-wolf-of-favors. Maybe you’ve heard of him. Makes requests like, ‘Higgins, can you spot me for gas money?’ ‘Higgins, just ten dollars for lunch, I swear I’ll pay you back.’ ‘Higgins, can’t we take this case for a free car detailing in exchange?’ Need I go on, or will those examples cover it?”

“Point taken. Look, are you with me on this or not?”

“Of course I’m with you,” she said as if Magnum should’ve known that all along. “See you in five.”

With that, Higgins disconnected the call. She was certainly in some kind of mood today. Maybe he had been taking advantage of her generosity a bit too much. He made a mental note to try and treat her to something rather than constantly taking from her.

A little over twenty four hours later and the two of them were inside the party and making their way upstairs. 

“Alright, here it is, Durant’s office.”

Magnum approached the door. “The knob doesn’t even have a lock on it. Talk about dumb.”

Moving inside, they closed the door. Standing in the middle of the room they took in the space. Wood floors, mahogany desk on top of a Persian rug, and a laptop sitting right in the center of the desk.

“Maybe he’s just confident that he’s not going to get caught. After all, thieves and liars do tend to have rather large egos,” Higgins noted. 

“Maybe,” Magnum said as he reflected on that thought before he continued with, “Okay so, we’re looking for anything that will tell Gordon who Durant is bribing and for how much. Any signs of money being moved is probably helpful.”

“Gee Thomas, thank you for the reminder, otherwise I might’ve forgotten why we were here,” Juliet practically barked at him, moving toward the laptop. Her mood shifted quickly though and she exclaimed, “You’ve got to be kidding me, it’s not even password protected.”

Ignoring her comment about the laptop—but seriously, this guy was either extra cocky or very stupid—Magnum pressed a bit about her attitude. He tried for nonchalance, “Higgy, you’ve been snippy the last two days. What’s up?” 

“Nothing. Keep looking while I dig into his files,” she replied while feverishly typing.

He kept it casual and went for what he assumed would be a joke, “You and Ethan have a fight?”

She paused a fraction long enough for Magnum to notice before she continued as if nothing had happened. Wow, who knew he’d hit a bullseye with that one? Normally he wouldn’t press his luck, but she’d been so smitten that he couldn’t help but push more to try and gain some insight. 

“Oh my god, you did get into a fight. What about?” 

The glee on his face—whether for guessing correctly or for realizing that Higgins and Dr. Perfect actually had an argument—was clear and annoying to her.

“That’s none of your business.” 

She said it in a way that was meant to put an end to their conversation. Magnum wouldn’t be put off that easily though. 

“It is my business if it influences our working relationship.”

Just then Magnum’s phone buzzed. “Saved by the bell. That’s Gordon, some of Durant’s guys are on their way up.”

“With any luck, they’re just looking for another bathroom.”

“Either way, let’s get ready to bolt. You find anything?” Magnum took a peek out the door and saw two men ascending. “Okay, we can’t leave, this door is right across from the stairs, we’ve just got to wait it out.”

Higgins withdrew a flash drive, closed the laptop, and stood in front of the desk. From outside the door they heard one of the men ask, “Which drawer again?”

“Mr. Durant said top left. The cigars, cutter, and lighter should all be together.”

Magnum locked eyes with Higgins and moved towards her to step away from the door. 

“What are we going to do?” Higgins asked, a hitch of panic in her voice. 

They were going to get caught. Being on the third floor, she wasn’t keen to jump out the window while wearing formal attire. No closets in the office. They couldn’t hide under the desk because firstly, they wouldn’t both fit, and secondly, the men would see them when they opened the drawer they were looking for. At the height of her mental panic, Magnum stepped closer.

“I’m sorry in advance,” he said.

Before she had time to question him, his lips were on hers. As he took a step into her she felt the backs of her thighs hit the edge of the desk. With a slight push from Magnum’s hands at her hips she sat and he stepped in between her legs just as his tongue slipped past her lips. It took her a second, but eventually her brain engaged and she realized she had to help Thomas sell this pitiful idea for a ruse. 

She heard the door open so she grabbed the lapels of his tux and pulled him in closer. They were pressed together from waists to chests now, flush with one another. His left hand was high on her hip, keeping them pinned, but his right was slowly traveling up the slit of her dress on the outside of her thigh and bringing some of the fabric with it. His rough palm of her smooth skin made her shiver and she knew he felt it. She was sure he could feel the heat coming off of her too. She was a woman, after all, and from a purely objective viewpoint he was an attractive male, so the reaction was only natural. At least that was how she would justify it to herself, and him later, if necessary. She moved her hands from his lapels onto his chest, traveling higher so one hand ran up his neck and cradled his jaw as the other continued its northward pilgrimage and her fingernails grazed the base of his skull and ran into his hair. He let off a throaty moan at the exact same time that someone cleared their throat from behind them. 

It wasn’t difficult to feign embarrassment, so she pretended that the blush on her cheeks was due having been caught, and not due to the reaction she had when Thomas kissed her while his hands glided over her body. 

“You two can’t be in here,” one of the men stated matter-of-factly. 

She quickly stood as Magnum turned to face the guys. She half-hid her head behind his shoulder and lowered her gaze while sliding her hands onto Thomas’s waist as she giggled and blushed. The men shared an amused look. 

Quicker to recover, Thomas said, “Hey man, we’re so sorry, my girl and I were just looking for some privacy.” He gave them a look that said, ‘help a brother out.’

“Well, take it elsewhere.” 

It was almost too easy. All Juliet could do was continue to play the part of demure lady as she hid behind Thomas who quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room behind him. 

They descended the stairs and met Katsumoto outside, across the street and down a few houses. 

“Well? What’d you find?”

Magnum looked towards Higgins expectantly and she realized she was going to have to speak as she was the one who gathered documents from the computer onto a flash drive. It was just that her brain was having a hard time processing anything at the moment. She saw them waiting expectantly, Gordon’s impatience growing. 

“I… yeah… the documents. Of course. Um… there were bank statements for large deposits into an offshore account called The Future Fund. Everything I could gather is here on this flash drive.”

“Okay great, I’ll have my techs look into it and see where the money goes, and with any luck, who it goes to. Then we can branch out in our investigation. The department owes you one for this.”

It took Magnum a second, but then he said, “Hey, wait a minute, I thought you said we were getting paid for this?”

“Like I said, the department owes you now.”

While Higgins was likely to be pissed, Thomas didn’t mind having an HPD favor in his back pocket. Even better if Katsumoto was now in his debt. 

“The department, or you, Gordy?” Thomas asked, hopeful. 

Stone-faced, Katsumoto replied, “The department,” and swiftly turned to walk back to his car. 

Magnum and Higgins were left standing there. It was just the two of them, which never seemed to be a problem before. Higgins felt a building tension though—they avoided eye contact with each other. Magnum started making his way to the Ferrari so Higgins followed. The silence on the ride home only grew. Juliet felt pressure in the air between them and her lungs were tight. She knew she needed to say something to ease the swelling intensity, but Magnum could help her out and just as easily crack a joke to lighten the mood—yet here they were, riding in silence. The irony was not lost on her that she’d finally found a way to shut him up. 

They pulled into Robin’s Nest and Magnum parked. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. Higgins, exasperated by the awkwardness and her own ineptitude at breaking it, got out of the car and headed for the main house. She was ten steps from the door, so close to putting this moment behind them—if they could just avoid it now, she was pretty sure they would keep pretending it never happened—but then he calls her name. Not Higgins. Juliet. 

She froze, but she didn’t turn around. She was not going to make this easy on him. If he didn’t say anything else then she was going to start walking again soon. 

Instead, he caught up to her. He reached out with his right arm and touched her shoulder to turn her around. 

They made eye contact and held it for a few heavy seconds before she dropped her gaze. He could see her vulnerability. Something happened tonight, but she was still (technically) his boss, (definitely) his partner, and (if he was really being honest with himself) his best friend, so he didn’t want to push her. 

As convinced as he was that something shifted between them tonight, he made the choice to give her the out. This was the long game, after all. 

“Look, I’m a little surprised you haven’t punched me yet and, I know I said it earlier, but I’m sorry. That was the only thing I could think of.”

She calmed at his words. He wasn’t going to force her to really address what happened between them. She thought she should’ve trusted that, because Thomas knows her. She knew that he knew she’d run and hide if he tried to force her to talk about her emotions before she was ready. It suddenly clicked that that was what started the argument with Ethan. He didn’t get that about her yet. He pushed her because he didn’t know that he shouldn’t.

“No, it was a good plan. It worked, ultimately. Plus, I just figure I’ll add this punch to my running tally sheet. I’ve got at least five saved up now. I plan to use them when you least expect it, otherwise, where’s the fun?” She offered him a small smirk. It felt good to joke with him—natural. With that, she turned and headed inside.  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yes, things were definitely different between them. That night only served to amplify what had slowly been building. 

He needed some advice. He went to talk to T.C. 

“My Brotha, what’s going on?” T.C. greeted Magnum from inside his helicopter hanger. 

“Hey man, you got a minute? I need some advice.”

“I got a client in half an hour, that enough time? Or is this a full on Dr. T.C. therapy session?”

That made Magnum smile. It didn’t last though. 

Something was definitely up and T.C. said, “Okay, you’re worrying me a little. What is it?”

Magnum didn’t know where to start. “Look, what I’m about to tell you I haven’t actually said this out loud to anyone yet. And I know I probably don’t need to say this part, but I’m going to anyway: Don’t tell Rick. He’s a blabbermouth.”

T.C. smiled and said, “Whatever it is, your secret is safe with me.”

“It’s Higgins.”

T.C. had this funny smile on his face and said, “Oh, yup,” as if he knew exactly everything that Magnum had floating around inside his head. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

T.C. said, “Well, I was wondering when you’d finally be ready to admit how you feel about her.”

“And how exactly do you think it is that I feel about her?”

“Nuh-uh brotha, you’re not spinning this around. Out with it.”

“Fine. When Higgins started dating Ethan I was happy for her. It’d been almost four years since Richard’s death and besides one false start when she first got to Hawaii, she hasn’t really showed any signs of moving on with her life in terms of dating. It was more like she was hiding from that part of life. So, I thought this was a good thing. But, I didn’t expect it to be something that lasted.”

“Well, if you were happy for her when she started dating Ethan, how come you’re not any more? He treats her right. She seems to like him. It’s been good for her.”

“Look, I don’t disagree. Ethan is great, but, maybe I just don’t think he’s great for her.”

“Right, and who is it that you do think is great for her?”

“Are you really going to make me say it?” Magnum asked.

T.C. just stood there with an expectant look on his face.

“Alright. I have feelings for Higgins. There. Are you happy?”

“Now was that so hard? Honestly, Thomas. You and Higgins give me a headache. Neither one of you can ever say what you mean or how you feel.”

“Whoa, hold up. Me and Higgins? Have you had a similar conversation with her? About me?”

T.C. just gave him a look as if to say, I’m not telling you any details. Then he went with, “Look, she told me what happened on the Durant case.”

“She did? Why?”

“Do I have to spell it out for you? Don’t you think if she wanted to talk about it with someone there were likely some confusing feelings floating around? I’m not going to betray her and tell you what we discussed, but I will give you some advice. She sees Ethan for who he is: a good man with a stable career. He’s easy to be with. She didn’t have easy when she was with Richard, what with them both working for MI6, and she doesn’t have it easy with you now as a P.I.”

“Are you saying I need to change careers?”

“No you dummy, I’m saying she might think that Ethan is the smart choice, but if I had to put money on it, he’s not really what she wants. But I don’t think you can expect her to take the leap of faith after everything she went through back then.”

Magnum started backpedaling towards his car as he shouted, “Thanks man, this was helpful.”  
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

He found her immersed in work in the main house. She said she had a few more hours of tasks for the estate so he asked her to come over to the guest house for a beer when she was done. 

He nervously paced and wondered just how he was supposed to start this conversation. His strategy of playing the long game was working, in theory, but Ethan threw a wrench into things and was forcing Magnum’s hand. 

A knock on the door drew him out of his thoughts. 

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Hey yourself,” came Higgins’s reply.

After he handed her a beer she sat down in a chair and he sat on the couch. He played with the label of his beer bottle nervously. 

“Alright Thomas, out with it. What’d you do?”

“Excuse me, why do you assume I did something wrong?”

“You have that guilty expression that I’m very familiar with,” she said pointedly. 

He sighed and then gave her a serious look. “It’s not what I did, it’s what I’m about to do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

She looked nervous. He really could be a loose cannon sometimes. 

“I want to talk about what happened to you. Before Hawaii.” She opened her mouth to seemingly protest but he cut her off and started, “I guess I should say I don’t so much want to have a conversation as I want you to listen.” 

He took a moment to compose himself, and it seemed like she was doing the same. If he was really doing this, he might as well get right to it. 

“I know that back then, in England, when Richard died… it broke something inside of you, but, you’re not broken now. You put yourself back together. You healed into a different, stronger woman than the one you left behind.”

He moved closer to her as he scooted to the end of the couch. If he reached out he could easily touch her, but he didn’t. Her head was lowered and she wouldn’t look at him.

He lowered his voice and said just above a whisper, “Now. Me and you. There’s something here.” That caught her attention and she looked back up at him, frightened as to where this was going, yet there something else there too, he couldn't exactly place it, but it gave him hope, so he continued. “I see it. Some days, when we lock eyes, I think I see you see it, too. I think we’re both afraid, but, then I think about how you’re the bravest person I know.” He should have stopped there, but he couldn’t. If he was going to do it—and clearly he was—then he had to really do it. “Don’t take the easy way out, Juliet. Don’t stay with Ethan. Don’t settle.” There. He said it. 

He sounded more desperate than she had ever heard which made it difficult to be angry with him, but she could still try to muster something. That was really the only way she was going to be able to escape what he was trying to do. 

She started quiet, but her tone told him right away that she was upset. “How dare you tell me that being with Ethan is taking the easy way out. You think choosing a life of quiet, measured affection is easier than choosing something that drives me absolutely bloody crazy in a way that I want to relive every day?”

She floored him. That was the closest she had ever come to any overt acknowledgment of how she felt about him. 

She stood as if she was going to storm off, but really, he saw that she wanted to take back control of this conversation by standing over him. “Life’s not about chasing the highs, Thomas. We all have to grow up. This isn’t Neverland. And anyways, Peter Pan loses Wendy in the end because he doesn’t want anything in his life to change. He wants to keep playing make believe. This—my life—it isn’t a fantasy for you to play with.”

“Isn’t it though?” he asked, straight-faced. 

He could tell he’d caught her off guard. Her mouth half-opened to say something, but she closed it again. 

He stood up too, so they were face-to-face, and said, “Let’s really be honest here, Juliet. You came to Hawaii to hide. You literally ran away from all your problems. You wanted to live a different life. A fantasy life where nothing could hurt you and you didn’t have to feel.” He paused as this, apparently new information to her, sunk in. “You lost your partner, your fiance, your best friend, your career—the life you planned.” He finished with, “And you ran.”

“How dare you judge my actions,” she practically spit at him while she pointed a finger in his face. 

“I’m not judging you,” he said calmly. “You can’t argue that those are the facts. So if someone around here is playing make-believe, it isn’t me.”

She was furious with him. He knew she didn’t know how to get out of the discussion because they both knew he was right. 

So, she did what does—she ran. Last time she ran though, there was no one who cared enough to chase after her. 

With the front door in sight she grabbed the handle and wrenched it backwards, prepared to make a dramatic exit with a loud bang. She half-hoped some of Robin’s expensive art would fall with a clatter. With the door opened an inch though, Thomas’s hand shot over her shoulder from behind and slammed it closed. 

He was right up against her back, breathing heavy. The hot wisps of breath tickled her ear and neck. She realized she was breathing heavy too. She felt like she couldn’t control herself. No one ever tried to stop her from running. 

He tilted his head forward and whispered in her ear, “Turn around.”

His tone wasn’t exactly demanding, he said it softly, but in a way that was meant to imply he knew she would. 

The thing about it was, she knew the second he slammed the door shut that she had lost. What she had lost, she couldn’t be sure.

Slowly, almost agonizingly so, she turned. 

They held eye contact until he started to lean ever-so-slightly forward, tilting his head the tiniest bit to the right, his intention clear. He paused just before her lips, then leaned the rest of the way, lightly grazed her lips with his, and then pulled back a fraction. 

She knew he wanted her to make the move. More than that, she knew he wanted it to be her choice. She could turn her head, she could push him back, she could run. She knew he wouldn’t chase her this time, because she would be serious about it this time. Moments ago, she stormed off not because she didn’t want him, but because she did, and they both knew it. 

Now though, why keep running when the truth was out there? 

She reached for him and once she pulled him to her there was no stopping them. They fought for control with hot, open-mouthed kisses. She pulled at his hair and he moaned. She bit his ear and he ground himself into her. She said his name breathlessly and he picked up by the backs of her thighs, shuffled them a foot to the left where the entryway table was, and dropped her on it, spread her legs, and wrapped them around his waist. 

She enjoyed their friction for a minute before her impatience won and she pushed his hips away to paw at his belt. 

Meanwhile, he ran his hands up her legs, under the hem of her A-Line dress, and felt for the fabric of her underwear on her hips. He hooked his fingers in them and trailed them down her legs. He had to step away from her to remove them fully. He noticed she’d undone his belt and button but hadn’t gotten to the zipper yet. 

With a foot of space between them, both heaving, they looked at each other. They really looked. It was the first look they shared where they both freely admitted how deeply they wanted each other. No stolen glances, no half-looks, no longing from afar. This was honest. And hot. Her hands reached for him again. She tugged him forward by the waist of his shorts and their mouths were on each other. Their kisses were slower, deeper, but no less passionate. As she lowered the zipper to his shorts, he undid the center row of buttons running down the front of her dress to the waist. It was clear they weren’t going to get much more off each other, but at least he’d exposed more skin. As she pushed his shorts and briefs down as far as she could while on the table, he pulled one cup of her bra aside and latched onto a nipple, lightly biting with his teeth. The feral moan she let out sent shivers down his spine. When she took him in her hand and stroked, he released her nipple with a loud pop and lowered his forehead to her shoulder as he moaned in turn. 

She let go only to grab his butt, making what she wanted clear.

He paused for a moment, looked her in the eye, and asked, “Condom?”

“No.” She said. “Now.” She’d only been with Ethan and they’d used protection. Thomas hadn’t been with anyone in almost a year.

“But…” he started.

“I’m on the pill,” she said, as if that solved all potential problems. 

“Good enough,” he said with an impish smile and a shrug of his shoulders. 

She rolled her eyes but pulled him to her at the same time. 

It was fast. The continuous friction against her had her moaning and shaking in under a minute. She’d be half embarrassed if didn’t feel so goddamn good. 

He slowed down because she couldn’t follow any sort of rhythm once her orgasm took over, so he lightly teased a nipple to draw it out longer and kissed her sweetly.

When she registered that he’d stopped moving she pushed him backwards and slid down from the table in the same motion. It caught him off guard, as did the moment she stuck a leg behind his and unceremoniously pushed him to the ground. He landed with a thud and was getting ready to be annoyed when she quickly straddled him and sunk herself back onto him, starting a frenzied rhythm. Watching her above him, in control, dressed hiked up, bra peeking out, breasts heaving as her lungs worked overtime, he knew he wouldn’t last long. 

He reached for her and she leaned forward, fusing their mouths and allowing him to set the pace from below. His hands were framing her face but she took them and stretched them out over his head and laced their fingers. She watched him, her face a few inches above his, and he couldn’t look away. She was mesmerizing. 

He was close and he couldn’t keep his eyes open any more. She watched as they rolled back into his head and closed while he moaned and gave a few shivers, slowed, and eventually stopped their rhythm. 

She unlaced their fingers and sat back, still straddling him. 

She could tell he was spent. She felt that way not five minutes before, but watching him—seeing all these new expressions cross his face and hearing all these new sounds leave his chest—it re-energized her. If she was being honest, it scared her too. What had she just let happen? There he was, laying underneath her, eyes closed, goofy grin on his face, and she was panicking. 

She stood up and started buttoning the top half of her dress. She glanced around for her underwear, but she didn’t need it to walk back to the main house and she wasn’t willing to linger. She walked to the entryway table where her sandals had fallen from her feet, slipped into them, and slipped out the door. 

He had leaned up onto his elbows, watching her. He thought about stopping her, saying something, but what he knew right now, that she clearly didn’t know, was that she couldn’t run from this. He’d let her have her space, for now. He knew how she really felt, even if she didn’t explicitly say it. That was enough for him.


End file.
